The SD11 is the newest sound mixing product from DiGiCo, following on from the huge success of the SD7, SD8, SD9 and SD10 consoles.

The SD11 is DiGiCo's smallest sized sound desk to date. It is two consoles in one – a rack-mountable and a table top mixer with smart end cheeks and an arm rest - and an easy one-person lift from truck to table top, ready for action! Manufactured with a steel chassis for strength and a polycarbonate-overlaid aluminium work surface for reduced weight, the SD11 features 12 touch-sensitive moving faders below a 15-inch touch-sensitive screen.

5 Star's design team was commissioned just before Christmas 2010 to create a fabulous case for the SD11's planned launch at the recent Prolight+Sound 2011 exhibition in Frankfurt. “Once we saw the prototype SD11 at the end of last year, the first thing that was obvious to us was its neat and compact size” explains 5 Star's MD Keith Sykes.

“As always, we worked extremely closely with all divisions at DiGiCo, including mechanical and electronic design and of course sales & marketing, all of whom had an input into the finer points of the case design”.

Once 5 Star had full 3D â€˜models' - produced by DiGiCo's head of mechanical design Chris Ladbrook - to work from, the case was evolved further.

Two key features were designed into the SD11 case. The first is the tilt system which is found on many of 5 Star's standard ranges of 19” â€˜Mixer Racks'. The SD11 was an ideal candidate for the incorporation of this mechanism within its case, giving the user a 10 position angled work-surface, utilising twin ratchet stays.

5 Star's Solid Edge 3D visualisation software again proved an invaluable tool to the design team in developing the case.

The second - unique - and way cool - feature of the SD11 case is the incorporation of LED lighting, inbuilt into the cheeks of the tilt mechanism.

Two strips of multi-point, high-brightness white LED's, sourced by 5 Star, are flush mounted into slots in each of the 19” rack support cheeks, and connected directly to the SD11's internal light supply, which can be dimmed from the console.

Integrating the LEDs into the case design was a 'finishing touch' idea from 5 Star reflecting the premium quality of both the console and the case concepts and adding a real flair. The LEDs cast a smooth, even illumination across the whole console, whilst not causing any glare on its 15” screen.

DiGiCo's Sales & Marketing Director David Webster says, “It's always great to work on new projects with 5 Star Cases, and they continually come up with something special! I think the inbuilt LED technology is stunning. Combined with the tilt system, this gives DiGiCo a definite edge over the competition in terms of case solutions”.